In anticipation of Tasmania's borders reopening on December 15, the state government has confirmed they will be increasing their COVID-19 testing capacity.
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Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff confirmed as of December 13, sites in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie will be opening up to support the community post-December 15.
"As we reconnect Tasmania and reopen our borders to travellers, we are ensuring that we have the health and safety nets in place to keep on top of COVID-19 during the reopening phases," Mr Rockliff said.
"We know that widespread testing of people with cold or flu-like symptoms is vital to track and slow the spread of COVID-19."
The new Northern facility, to be operated by Launceston Pathology, will be on the same site as one of the governments previous testing facility, which was closed in October after moving operations to a four-lane drive through clinic - located at 63 Dowling Street.
The Department of Health confirmed the reopened site at 246-248 Wellington Street, South Launceston would be staffed by Launceston Pathology and not the Tasmanian Health Service.
Mr Rockliff said the deal with Launceston Pathology would free up resources for mobile testing buses, allowing DoH to deliver training for new testing staff at its existing government-operated sites.
The bolstering of the states COVID preparedness comes as Victoria recorded another two official cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The Victorian health department confirmed the latest cases on Friday, taking the state's total to three.
The drive-through clinics in Launceston, Burnie and Hobart will increase Tasmania's testing capacity to 5000.
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The clinics will be free of charge and available for people with symptoms and those who need to get tested as part of domestic travel requirements.
Mr Rockliff said the government would continue to maintain regional testing capacity with the cooperation of district hospitals and health centres.
He said there continued to be discussions regarding increasing capacity in these areas, particularly for the Bass Strait Islands.
For more information, call the Public Health Hotline or visit coronavirus.tas.gov.au/testing.
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Andrew Chounding
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
Sarah Davison
Education reporter at The Examiner, with an additional focus on issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. With a background in Psychology, Sarah completed her Master's thesis on the Australian media's coverage of familicide. Get in touch: sarah.davison@examiner.com.au or 0448 682 861
Education reporter at The Examiner, with an additional focus on issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. With a background in Psychology, Sarah completed her Master's thesis on the Australian media's coverage of familicide. Get in touch: sarah.davison@examiner.com.au or 0448 682 861
